


Heart and Home

by yellow_sunrise



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Parent-Child Relationship, Talking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-20
Updated: 2018-09-20
Packaged: 2019-07-14 18:35:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16046225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yellow_sunrise/pseuds/yellow_sunrise
Summary: Nora wants to know what love is so she asks the people she knows to be the most in love.





	Heart and Home

**Author's Note:**

> Yes it's been a while. I've been busy and yired from work so I just wanted to have some fun. I'll probably post Stormy Moon when my schedule isn't so full. Cheers!

Nora is twenty-two and falling in love. Or at least, she thinks she might be. See the thing is, she’s never been in love. To be honest, she had crushes growing up, but she’d never been so involved with another person. She’s finding herself thinking about them and when she’s not with them, she wishes she were. It’s gotten so bad that Nora will sometimes start giggling excitedly. So, to find out about love, Nora goes to the people she first witnessed in love, and who also were the first to give her love.

 

“Dad, how did you know you were in love with mom?” she asked, suddenly. She’d brought him out to lunch, pulling him away from his lab and listened to him talk about work. As a child she used to love it, watching her dad talk about his work, and now when she can understand some of it, it’s even more interesting. 

 

Her father regards her with a raised eyebrow. She doesn’t even remember if he’s told her this story before but she smiles brightly.

 

“Honestly, I couldn’t give you a concrete answer. I liked her pretty much from the moment I talked to her, but I knew I loved her for a while by the time I was in high school. But I don’t really know,” he smiles and Nora watches as he looks out the window they’re sitting next to. He’d probably thinking of her right now, and Nora wonders if she looks like that too.

 

“Well then how would you describe love? How do you know it’s real?” she asks almost desperately.

 

“She’s my home. It doesn’t matter where I am, if she’s with me I’m happy, comfortable. She grounds me, for lack of a better term,” he says easily.

 

“Lightning rod.” she nods. That’s something that her dad had told her too. How dangerous it can be to just run into the speedforce, so a speedster needed a lightning rod, a person to be their guiding light back home basically.

 

“So you know you love mom because you’re comfortable around her?” she tilts her head, thinking of all the people that she knows she loves. It's not really the answer she expected but she  _ is  _ comfortable around famikt. She's trying to understand but her dad rolls his eyes and taps her forehead, bringing her focus back to the conversation.

 

“No, try again. It’s more like I don’t need much more than knowing she’s going to be there,” he explains. Nora tries to imagine it. Her dad has gone through a lot, being the Flash and she has heard him tell her so often that Iris was a great comfort and help to him in those times when he was insecure. So she’s starting to get it honestly. But she needs more information.

 

“Thanks Dad. I think I really needed to hear that.” she admitted.

 

“No problem! I’d ask why you would need to know, but I’m sure I know why.” he said with an exasperated grin. Nora made a face and stole a few fries in retaliation.

  
  


Nora waits a couple of days to talk to her mom because she’s working on a fairly big story and it’s best to wait until the legwork is done before engaging her mom in actual human conversation. The last time Nora tried, her mom had managed to talk about the history of the mob syndicate in Central City, when all Nora needed to know was if they were having pizza that night.

 

But, her mom was in her pajamas and typing on her computer, but with a long glance, Nora could see that her mom was just doing some minor editing.

 

Nora plopped down next to her mom and rested her head on her mom’s thigh. Without thinking, her mom began to play with Nora’s hair and Nora watched as her mom looked down with a small grin.

 

“Hey pretty girl. What’s up?” she asked, saving and pushing her laptop away.

 

“Nothing, I just wanted to ask you a couple of questions.”

 

“Really? What did you wanna ask?” her mom cocked her head, her curls bouncing with the movement. 

 

“Well, it’s super embarrassing, but I’ve been dating this guy for a while and I think I might really be falling for him. Only, how do I know if it’s love or not?” she asked, her face burning with embarrassment. Iris smiled and settled into the couch. 

 

“Well, love is different for everyone obviously. Some people like to express it differently and I guess you have to understand how you choose to give love, and see how that matches with how you interact with them.” Iris began.

 

“Well, I love spending time with him, and I guess I kinda gush about him all the time. Especially to him, to be honest.” Nora admitted. Iris laughed.

 

“Well what do you like about him? You haven’t told me. Or even who he is,” her mom looked at her sideways and Nora pursed her lips with a smile.

 

“Well for one thing, he’s super talented; he plays the cello and he started learning programming when I said I thought it was interesting. And he’s super neat mom, and you  _ know _ I love a neat guy. And he’s even funnier than dad,” Nora gushed. Iris raised an eyebrow.

 

“Really? You always said your dad was the funniest guy on earth.” Iris pointed out and Nora shrugged sheepishly.

 

“Well Dad still is, but he kinda doesn’t count, you know. Anyway! This guy, he’s also really sweet. He just...anticipates what I need, whether it’s a talk, or a snack because I’m a little hungry. And it’s just really easy with him,” she sighed. Iris looked at Nora wistfully, almost  _ sadly _ and Nora was about to ask why but Iris shook her head.

 

“Sounds like you really like him, baby girl. Are you gonna say something?” Iris asked and Nora grabbed a pillow and covered her face, yelling a little into the pillow.

 

“Ugh, I want to, but I don’t know if he feels the same way,” Nora admitted. “I know that I should confess for myself but it’d be nice to have that...affection returned.”

 

Iris hummed.

 

“Well, in my experience, if what you feel is genuine sooner or later, that love is just gonna burst out of you. It’s hard to keep love like that a secret,” Iris said, wrapping an arm around Nora and hauling her up so that Iris could look at her face. “You are an amazing, beautiful woman. If he returns your affection or not just know that you’re amazing and if he doesn’t love you, you can love yourself all you need,” Iris said somberly. Nora started at her mom before bursting into laughter.

 

“Mom! You don’t have to give the `love yourself’ talk. I know I’m the shit,” she boasted.

 

“Hey, watch your language,” Barry said suddenly, having just run in and caught the tail end of Nora’s sentence.

 

“I agree,” Iris nodded and Nora groaned.

 

“Sorry. But yeah. I’m definitely not gonna lose it if he doesn’t feel the same way. But you know I think I  _ do _ have deeper feelings for him, even if they’re not love.” she said.

 

“Are we ever going to get a name for this guy?” Iris asked. Nora stood up and stretched, grinning cheekily at her mom.

 

“His name is Jeven, and we actually agreed to meet in,” she glanced at her Gideon watch and frowned. “Five minutes ago. Yikes. See you guys for dinner!” she called and flashed away, her lightning crackling.

 

“God, she’s growing up so fast,” Iris said sadly.

 

“She’s twenty-three. You know I was wondering when she’d start dating. It sucks way more than I thought it would,” Barry said.

 

“No kidding. I remember when she used to say the only men she’d ever love was you, Dad, and Wally.”

 

“Yeah, those were the days.” Barry sighed and sat next to Iris, pulling her legs onto his lap.

 

“But it’s kinda fun watching her fall in love. You looked like that, when I look back on it. And you know, it’s really proving how much she’s grown.” Iris pointed out. Barry nodded.

 

“Yeah. Hey, Gideon do you know who Jeven is?” he asked and Gideon’s computerized, blank face appeared from the watch on Barry’s wrist.

 

“I’m sorry, this information has been encrypted by Nora West-Allen,” Gideon said pleasantly.

 

Iris swatted Barry’s arm.

 

“Don’t be nosy. When she’s ready to tell us more she will. Besides, that is not how you do investigations,” Iris said loftily, smirking at Barry.

 

“Oh yeah? Are  _ you _ gonna investigate this guy?” he asked. Iris rolled her eyes.

 

“You’re just like Dad, God. We’re not investigating Nora’s boyfriend. Now, scooch over, I need to finish this article,” she said, pulling her laptop closer and opening it back up. Barry started to massage her leg, watching as Iris started to crumble.

 

“You’re deadline isn’t until tomorrow.” he said.

 

“Hm.”

 

“But we’re here...in the house...alone...together,” he said suggestively and Iris grinned, ignoring Barry just barely.

 

“Mhm, interesting stuff babe.”

 

“Iris,” he started to rub behind her knee and her face began to twitch.

 

“Yes, love?”

 

“This is a unique opportunity,” he pointed out.

 

“Sure is,” she said, her voice going higher as Barry’s hand did the same.

 

It took little time for Iris to push the laptop away again.


End file.
